Her approach,Flowing into Form is an intuitive and healthy way to link breath and body into a seamless rhythm while allowing for long pauses to deepen and align all the systems of the Physical and Subtle body. Her approach is exploratory and forgiving, strong and challenging yet yielding, focused on the interplay of opposites merging into balance of body, heart, mind. She draws on the principles of traditional vinyasa yoga, as well as alignment based yoga.

Yoga Background

Julie began serious study of yoga in New York City several decades ago. Her main influences were Peentz Dubble (Iyengar), Sharon Gannon/David Life (Jivamukti) and Dharma Mittra. In California and other locations she continued her studies with these revolutionary teachers: Amy Cooper, Mark Whitwell, Patricia Sullivan, Ramanand Patel, Richard Freeman and Angela Farmer. She has studied the embodiment practice of Body Mind Centering with Bonnie Bainbridge Cohen, Yamuna Body Rolling, Authentic Movement, Improvisation and Somatic Experiencing (SE).

In multiple trips to India, Julie has been priviliged to study Ashtanga yoga with founder, K. Pattabhi Jois in Mysore with a small group of dedicated students. She spent time in private study at the Krishnamacharya Yoga Mandiram in Chennai where her yoga was supervised by T.K.V. Desikachar and where she delved into a study of vinyasa yoga, yoga therapy, chanting and yoga psychology. She studied North Indian classical vocal music and chant with the music guru Sri Karunamayee of the Sri Aurobindo Ashram, Delhi who recently passed.

Julie is on the staff of the Northern California Functional Restoration Program in Emeryville where she serves as the Yoga and Movement Therapist for patients who have chronic pain. She has presented workshops on Yoga for Anxiety and Depression at The Yoga and Healing Conference in Marin County. Julie founded and directed the Yoga Bliss teacher training program. Many of her students are now yoga teachers. Julie taught at the original Jivamukti Yoga Center on 2nd ave in NYC and in San Francisco’s Mission District before putting down roots in Berkeley, CA where she maintains her current practice.

Counseling and therapy background

Julie bridges her love for yoga and the “body as container” with the depth work of psychotherapy. She integrates somatics into her counseling work, many years of psychodynamic training and the wisdom gained from parenting a growing, but still young, child. She is in the Advanced training year of Somatic Experiencing a form of somatic therapy. http://www.traumahealing.org. She works with adults, couples, teens and children.

Marriage, Family Therapist, (MFT LIc. #36095) Yoga Therapist, Yoga Teacher in private practice in Berkeley, CA. She holds degrees from Wesleyan University and The California Institute of Integral Studies where she graduated from the Psychology/Drama Therapy Master’s Program.

Julie is the author of “365 Yoga: Daily Meditations,” a Tarcher/Penguin book of yoga wisdom for every day and has just completed her first novel which is a story of love, loss, family and adventure set in Southern India.

Currently classes are held in a private studio in Berkeley, as well as Ironworks Climbing Gym.

Julie has taught and/or held retreats at many locations worldwide including:

A typical session may begin with a five minute guided meditation, or restorative yoga posture, then move into movement or dialogue. Or a session may begin with a verbal check-in that then leads to expression in yoga or movement, as the need arises…

Julie has taught yoga for twenty years, training in both the US and India. Julie is a licensed Marriage, Family Therapist, (MFT LIc. #36095) Yoga Therapist, Yoga Teacher in private practice in Berkeley, CA.